How to add a subscribe button animation in Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve

Which file to use

Use the transparent .mov. It's ProRes 4444 with an alpha channel — the format professional editors expect for graphics with transparency — so it keeps a clean edge over any footage. Keep the green screen .mp4 as a last resort only. Don't worry if Windows can't preview the .mov in the Photos app; that's normal for ProRes, and it plays perfectly once it's in your editor.

Adobe Premiere Pro

1. Import the .mov: drag it into the Project panel, or use File → Import.
2. Drag it onto the timeline on V2, directly above your footage on V1, at the moment you want it to appear.
3. Select the clip and open Effect Controls. Under Motion, adjust Position and Scale to place it — bottom left or right usually works best.
4. Play it back. The background should already be transparent.

If you see a black box behind the animation, right-click the clip in the Project panel → Modify → Interpret Footage, and make sure the alpha channel isn't set to be ignored.

DaVinci Resolve

1. Import the .mov into the Media Pool (drag it in, or File → Import → Media).
2. On the Edit page, drag it onto Video 2, above your footage on Video 1.
3. Select the clip and open the Inspector. Under Transform, use Zoom and Position to size and place it.
4. Play it back — the transparency should show straight away.

If Resolve shows a black background, right-click the clip in the Media Pool → Clip Attributes → Video, and set Alpha Mode to Premultiplied (or try Straight if you see dark edges).

Add a sound

Our animations are silent so you can choose a sound that fits your channel. A soft click timed to the moment the button is pressed, or a quick whoosh as it slides in, makes the animation feel finished. Put the sound on an audio track under the clip and line it up with the press. Use sounds you have the rights to — the YouTube Audio Library in YouTube Studio includes free sound effects.

Where and when to place it

Saying it out loud at the same moment ('if this helped, subscribing really helps the channel') usually works better than the graphic alone.

1. After you've delivered something useful, not in the first seconds. Viewers are more likely to subscribe once they know the video is worth it.
2. Away from your face, captions and anything you're showing on screen.
3. Clear of the very bottom of the frame, where the player's progress bar and controls appear.
4. Once or twice per video. A reminder every two minutes gets annoying fast.

Save time on future videos

Keep the animation (with its sound already lined up) somewhere you can reach from any project. In Premiere, nest the clip and sound together and keep them in a template project you start each edit from. In Resolve, put them in a Power Bin, which is shared across all projects in your database. Then adding your subscribe reminder is a single drag.

Common mistakes

1. Using the green screen file and keying it: more work and a worse edge. Use the transparent .mov.
2. Scaling it far above 100%: it'll go soft. Our files are 1920×1080, so in a 4K timeline set it to about 200% at most, or work in a 1080p timeline.
3. Covering the subscribe animation with captions or a lower third: check the layer order.
4. Choosing the wrong version for your footage: if a style comes in light and dark, use the dark one over bright footage and the light one over dark scenes for contrast.